Chapter 127: An Unforeseen Collapse

Chu Mu had not expected Pang Yunjin to be so agitated that he would cough up blood.

"Miss Shen, do you have no heart at all? My elder brother has thought of you and searched for you for five years. Even if you do not have him in your heart..."

"Yunche, do not be rude to Miss Shen," Pang Yunjin said, slowly raising his head to interrupt Pang Yunche.

"From now on, Yunjin will no longer disturb Miss Shen. You may leave, Miss; I wish to rest." Pang Yunjin closed his eyes, unable to bear looking at Chu Mu any longer. He had lost all his former vitality, appearing dull and drained of all color.

"Brother!" Pang Yunche looked at his brother with heartache.

All these years, the only thing that had kept his brother going was the thought of Miss Shen, whom he missed day and night. Now that his brother had lost his faith, he had suddenly become despondent, as if he had returned to that moment when his legs were crippled and life seemed worse than death.

Pang Yunche looked at Chu Mu with resentment. Why did it have to be her? Why did it have to be her, a woman already wed to another?

Chu Mu also sensed the change in Pang Yunjin. Although he did not like Pang Yunjin, he could feel the sincerity of his feelings for A-Zhao. Pang Yunjin’s affection for A-Zhao was no less than his own. But A-Zhao was his; he would not allow anyone to covet her. Even if they only held her in their hearts, he would not permit it.

"I hope you will keep your word, Young Master Pang." With that, he picked up the portrait he had packed and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Pang Yunche’s sharp eyes caught the blood-jade bracelet on Chu Mu’s wrist—the heirloom passed down to the eldest daughter-in-law of the Pang family. Now that it was on Shen’s wrist, if she did not have his brother in her heart, she was unworthy of wearing it.

Chu Mu paused in his tracks, impatient. "What is it, Second Young Master?"

"Do you know what you are wearing on your wrist?"

Chu Mu looked at Pang Yunche as if he were an idiot. Anyone with eyes could see it was a bracelet. "A blood-jade bracelet. Is there anything else, Second Young Master?"

"That bracelet is our family heirloom, passed only to the eldest daughter-in-law. Since Miss Shen does not have my brother in her heart, please take it off."

Chu Mu never imagined this blood-jade bracelet held such significance. And yet, Madam Pang had gifted it to him! This entire family was conspiring to get their hands on his A-Zhao.

Chu Mu carefully set down the portrait in his arms; he truly was not suitable to wear this blood-jade bracelet. He reached out to remove it, but suddenly, the world went black, and he collapsed backward.

As he lost consciousness, Chu Mu could only curse. Had someone poisoned him?

"B... Brother! Miss Shen has fainted!" Pang Yunche looked miserable. Was this woman doing it on purpose? He had just asked her to remove their family’s blood-jade bracelet, and she had passed out without any warning.

And it was a genuine faint—she had tipped over backward, and the sound of her hitting the floor made him wince in sympathy.

"Why are you just standing there? Go and fetch the physician!" The moment Chu Mu fainted, Pang Yunjin opened his eyes, looking at the unconscious woman with a complex expression. The heartache in his eyes was nearly overflowing. He wanted to reach out and help her up, but he feared she would be repulsed by his touch.

Chu Mu, though unconscious, was perfectly aware of his surroundings. He possessed all his senses, yet he could not open his eyes or move a muscle. He clearly heard Pang Yunjin order the maids and matrons to carry her to a side room in his courtyard. At least he was a decent man, not taking advantage of A-Zhao while he was unconscious.

But why had he fainted for no reason? If he was unconscious here, would A-Zhao be experiencing the same thing?

As he pondered this, Pang Yunche returned with the elderly household physician in tow. The physician was panting, trembling as he stepped forward to take Chu Mu’s pulse; his old bones had nearly been rattled apart by the Second Young Master. Along the way, the Second Young Master hadn't said who was ill, dragging him straight to the eldest son’s quarters, nearly scaring him to death. He had mistakenly thought something had happened to the eldest son. Thankfully, it wasn't him.

Just as the physician’s heart settled, his hand, which was resting on the pulse, suddenly trembled. A look of disbelief flashed in his eyes, and he pressed against the pulse point again, refusing to believe it.

This... what was happening? In his decades of practice, he had never felt such a strange pulse. He rubbed his eyes. The young woman’s chest was rising and falling, meaning she was not dead. Furthermore, her limbs were warm and showed no signs of rigidity; she should be alive. Yet, he could not detect a pulse. From the signs, this woman was already dead.

Strange! Truly strange! How could there be such a bizarre pulse?

The physician’s expression grew grave, and he remained silent for a long time. Pang Yunjin could not help but ask, "Physician, what exactly is wrong with Miss Shen?"

It wasn't just Pang Yunjin who couldn't wait; Chu Mu, whose consciousness was clear, was also reaching his limit. Although he couldn't see, he could hear and feel everything. The physician’s hand was digging into his flesh so hard it was almost painful. Could something be wrong with A-Zhao’s body?

The physician wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and finally managed to squeeze out a sentence:

"Reporting to the Eldest Young Master... this young lady has no pulse."

"No pulse? How can a living person have no pulse? Physician, have you misdiagnosed her?" Before Pang Yunjin could speak, Pang Yunche, impatient and anxious, spoke up, urging the physician to check again.

The physician wished it were a mistake, but this young lady truly had no heartbeat.

Pang Yunjin took Chu Mu’s wrist and checked for himself, his expression changing instantly. Just as the physician said, he could not feel a pulse. He quickly checked for breath, and the warm air brushed against his fingertips.

What... what was going on? Miss Shen clearly had breath, a rosy complexion, and warm skin—she looked like a living person in every way. But she had no pulse!

"Brother... Brother, is she dead?" Pang Yunche asked, looking at his brother nervously. Miss Shen must not die! If she died, how would his brother go on? Especially under his own roof—how could his brother bear it?

Pang Yunjin shook his head; Miss Shen still had breath and was not dead.

Chu Mu’s heart sank. He was frantic. What did the physician mean? What did it mean to have no pulse? Didn't that mean he was a dead man? And Pang Yunjin checking his breath—was he still alive or not?

Pang Yunche was asking questions—Pang Yunjin, speak up! Was he alive or dead? He had only come to the Pang estate for a banquet; how had he ended up losing his life?

His greatest fear now was for his A-Zhao. They had swapped bodies, and now that he was unconscious and his fate unknown, was his A-Zhao suffering the same thing?

At this time of day, his A-Zhao would either be at the military camp or the Great General’s mansion. If she were at the mansion, people around her could take care of her. But if she were at the camp, the situation was complex; if someone were to secretly harm her, how could his A-Zhao defend herself?

Damn it, wake him up!